The Language Of Thieves The Story Of Rotwelsch And One Family's Secret History

Author: Martin Puchner

Stock information

General Fields

  • : $40.00 NZD
  • : 9781783786404
  • : Granta Books
  • : Granta Books
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  • : January 2021
  • : {"length"=>["21.6"], "width"=>["13.8"], "units"=>["Centimeters"]}
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  • : 39.99
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  • : books

Special Fields

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  • : Martin Puchner
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  • : Hardback
  • : 2102
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  • : English
  • : 437.09
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  • : 288
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Barcode 9781783786404
9781783786404

Description

You might have heard the saying ‘you’re in a pickle’ meaning you’re in a difficult situation. This is just one example of Rotwelsch, an ancient language of the road influenced by Yiddish and written in rudimentary signs, and spoken by vagrants and refugees, merchants and thieves since the European Middle Ages.


Martin Puchner grew up knowing that Rotwelsch was of unusual interest to his family. When he inherited a family achive, it led him on a journey not only into the history of this extraordinary language but also into his family’s connections to the Nazi Party, for whom Rotwelsch held a particular significance.


The Language of Thieves is a compelling story of the mindset and milieu of Central Europe and of the way language can be used to evade oppression. It is also a deeply moving reckoning with a family’s buried past.

Reviews


A rare find. A journey through language and family, revealing lives lived on the margins and on the wrong side of history


Rachel Seiffert, author of, A Boy in Winter


 


The Language of Thieves is a revelation: in telling the story of an underground language, Martin Puchner exposes a hidden corner of Europe's-and his own family's-surprising past. Entirely original, infectiously curious, by turns playful and poignant, it offers at once a fresh, fascinating insight into history and a thoughtful meditation on identity and belonging. The book sings with Puchner's pleasure in the power of words to move, delight, deceive, and connect us


Maya Jasanoff, author of, The Dawn Watch